Check out our list of past and upcoming screenings of THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT:
| Date | Time | Location | City | State | Admission Type | Event Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2019 | 7:00PM | 2723 Washington St. | Hollywood | FL | Free | The United States of America's door of tolerance always seems to be opening to, or shutting out immigrants. Since Trump's election, the message for many has been clearly one of nativism, intolerance, and fear. We are experiencing a rise in hostilities directed toward immigrants - particularly Latinos. Racism is a common theme in the United States, but it was the Chinese immigrant who first experienced outright exclusion. Inacted in 1882... lasting, in effect for about sixty year, it set a tone, that "Asian is not really American", that still reverberates today. May is Asian American Month, but the Resist Movement against Trump is every month. In like spirit, we will be screening this very important documentary film "The Chinese Exclusion Act" by Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu. Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c24vf-3RFGQ&t=47s ___________________________________________________________________ * due to this screening being at a private residence, we ask that any persons invited through a mutual friend, please arrive with the invited guest. The Venue We will be watching this film in a tropical forested back yard on a LCD projector. Seating is limited to around twenty and parking is super tight (5 or 7 cars in the drive way), so please try to carpool. We will be selling beer and wine, but you are welcome to bring your own. Discussion to follow. Screening is limited to twenty people. |
| April 23, 2019 | 7:00PM | 65 Witherspoon Street | Princeton | NJ | Free | PBS American Experience episode “The Chinese Exclusion Act” will be screened, followed by a discussion with Beth Lew-Williams, assistant professor of history at Princeton University. Learn more on the Princeton University Library website. This PBS American Experience episode examines the origin, history and impact of the 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens. The first in a long line of acts targeting the Chinese for exclusion, it remained in force for more than 60 years. The film reveals the hardships and racial animosities that Chinese Americans faced throughout the duration of the law, including educational segregation, forced registration and lynchings. The episode also reveals a forgotten history of Chinese American resilience and resistance to the 15 laws enacted by the federal government, as well as those passed at the state and local levels. By challenging the constitutionality of these laws and the affronts to their civil rights through community organizing, civil disobedience, and the courts system, Chinese Americans brought 10,000 cases to federal courts and set a number of legal precedents that remain intact today. Through the lens of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a wider, deeply American story comes to life, one that embodies the issues of globalization, immigration, labor, and civil rights that continue to dominate headlines today. Run time: 49 minutes. Beth Lew-Williams, assistant professor of history at Princeton University lead a post-screening discussion. Her book, “The Chinese Must Go: Violence, Exclusion, and the Making of the Alien in America” maps the tangled relationships between local racial violence, federal immigration policy, and U.S. imperial ambitions in Asia. |
| April 2, 2019 | 11:00AM | Golden Gate Park Senior Center | San Francisco | CA | Free | |
| March 12, 2019 | 3:30PM | Aragon High School 900 Alameda de las Pulgas | San Mateo | CA | Free | |
| October 20, 2018 | 3PM | The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th Street | Oakland | CA | Free | The Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Film Series is showing "The Chinese Exclusion Act." For more information, please visit their website here. |
| October 17, 2018 | 7:00PM | Ellen Driscoll Playhouse, 325 Highland Avenue | Piedmont | CA | Free | Appreciating Diversity Film Series: "The Chinese Exclusion Act". Come reflect on our immigration policies today through the lens of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese nationals from coming to the US and prevented Chinese nationals already here from becoming citizens. The Act remained law for 60 years. Food truck at 5:30, film at 7pm. For more information, please visit their website here. |
| October 17, 2018 | 7:00PM | East Brunswick Public Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive | East Brunswick | NJ | Documentary & Discussion: THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT. For more information, please visit their website here. | |
| October 7, 2018 | 1:30PM | Community Idea Stations - Studios, 23 Sesame Street | Richmond | VA | Free, but please register here by Wednesday, October 3rd. | "Rising to the Challenge of Becoming American: The Story and Legacy of the Chinese Exclusion Act" Screening Event and Panel Discussion. |
| October 7, 2018 | 1:00PM | Saratoga Library - Community Room 13650 Saratoga Avenue | Saratoga | CA | A Community Conversation: THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT Watch and join a conversation about the PBS documentary, THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT, with Professor Bill Hing and Ms. Sarita Kohli. For more information, please visit their website here. |
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| September 30, 2018 | 11:30AM - 3:00PM | The Chinese American Museum of Chicago - 238 West 23rd Street | Chicago | IL | Free, but please register here. | The Chicago South Side Film Festival presents THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT. Producers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu will be answering questions via Skype after the film. |
| September 15, 2018 | 5:00PM - 7:00PM | Chinatown YMCA Gymnasium, 855 Sacramento Street | San Francisco | CA | Free | CAAM will be hosting a special screening of THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT excerpt as part of the 2018 Sterling Bank & Trust Autumn Moon Festival Celebration. Film screening followed by a discussion. This screening is the premiere of the traditional Chinese subtitled version of the excerpt. |
| September 12, 2018 | 12:00PM | Rutgers Law School - Center for Law and Justice, Room 80 | Newark | NJ | Free and open to the public, but please RSVP here | A special presentation of an excerpt from the film "The Chinese Exclusion Act," examining the first travel ban. Following the screening, a panel discussion with Professors Rose Cuison Villazor and Sahar Aziz on the contemporary relevance of the law, including its connection to President Trump's "Muslim" ban. For more information, please visit their Facebook page. Live streaming link of the panel is available here. |
| July 11, 2018 | 6PM | Arlington VA Public Library - Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium, 1015 N Quincy St | Arlington | VA | This event is free and open to all. | THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT Film Screening with Q&A session. For more information about this event go here or the Facebook page. Please RSVP for an event reminder! |
| July 2-6, 2018 (specific date TBA) | TBA | McDaniel College 2 College Hill | Westminster | MD | Part of Common Ground on the Hill's Traditions Weeks (more info TBA closer to date) |
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| June 6, 2018 | 7PM | Wayland Free Public Library | Wayland | MA | Free | Film screening with comments after the film from Professor Emma Teng |
| May 27, 2018 | 7:30PM | Omni Commons, 4799 Shattuck Ave | Oakland | CA | $5 NOTAFOLF (no one turned away for lack of funds) | Screening and panel discussion with: Cynthia Choi, Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action Nancy Hing Wong, Daughter of immigrants affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act Sacha Maniar, Civil Rights Program Coordinator at Asian Americans Advancing Justice |
| May 23, 2018 | 6PM | First Amendment Center, 1207 18th Ave. S. #200 | Nashville | TN | Free | NPT's Free 'Chinese Exclusion Act' Screening & Discussion |
| May 23, 2018 | 1:00PM - 5:00PM | Richmond Senior Center - 6221 Geary Blvd, 3rd Floor | San Francisco | CA | Free, please RSVP here | Hosted by Richmond Senior Center/Golden Gate Village. Eric Mar, assistant professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and former SF Supervisor will be leading a discussion following the film. For more details about our event and to RSVP, please visit our Eventbrite page here. |
| May 22, 2018 | 6:30PM | NYU Skirball 566 Laguardia Place | New York | NY | Free with RSVP | The Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU presents with Steeplechase Films, Center for Asian American Media, David D. Ho, MD, New-York Historical Society, WNET, The Museum of Chinese in America and the Asian American Bar Association of New York. Co-sponsored by Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program, NYU. Join us for the official New York premiere screening of the “The Chinese Exclusion Act” with award-winning documentary filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu of Steeplechase Films. The screening will be hosted by Jack Tchen, founding director of the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University, and followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and special guest Kavitha Rajagopalan, a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute and author of Muslims of Metropolis: The Stories of Three Immigrant Families in the West. |
| May 19, 2018 | 2:00PM | Chicago Cultural Center 78 E Washington Street | Chicago | IL | Free with RSVP | Screening & Discussion: The Chinese Exclusion Act |
| May 17, 2018 | 6:30PM | Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th Street NW | Washington | DC | RSVP here | Exploring Exclusions featuring THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT, a special presentation of American Experience/PBS 6:30PM Screening 7:30PM Discussion Reception to Follow Panelists include: Joie Chen, Moderator The Honorable Judy Chu Ric Burns, Film Director Li-Shin Yu, Film Director |
| May 13, 2018 | 1:30PM | Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library, Friends Room 318 S. Ramona Avenue | Monterey Park | CA | Calendar of Events Program audience: adults. |
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| Saturday, May 12, 2018 | 10:00AM - 1:00PM | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. | Oakland | CA | Facebook Event Page APISA will lead a community discussion after the screening with Professor Greg Mark whose family fought anti-Chinese laws in Oakland Chinatown in the 1930s, and OUSD teachers will lead a Curriculum Workshop sharing classroom activities our district is using to engage students this year. |
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| May 10, 2018 | 7:15PM | Marriott City Creek Hotel, 75 S. West Temple | Salt Lake City | UT | Free | A limited number of free tickets are available for the public at: Eventbrite bit.ly/2GQdgn (Click on REGISTER button and scroll to SCREENING). To register for the conference or purchase dinner tickets, go to goldenspike150.org |
| Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | 6:30PM-8:30PM | Twin Cities Public Television - Street Space, 172 4th Street East | Saint Paul | MN | Free, please register online via Eventbrite link | Join Twin Cities Public TV, the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center, and CAAM for a screening of American Experience, "The Chinese Exclusion Act," A panel discussion with experts and community leaders on the impact of exclusionary immigration policies today will follow the screening. Hors d'ouvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. For more details and to register to attend please visit the Eventbrite Registration Link |
| Sunday, May 6, 2018 | 6:30PM | Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ JANM 100 N Central Avenue | Los Angeles | CA | Free, but a ticket is required. However, this program is At Rush. | Click here for more information. Filmmakers in attendance. Examine the origin, history and impact of the 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens. Catch the film before it appears on PBS American Experience in May. Assembling a panel of APA historians, scholars, community advocates and constructing a dynamic archival palette of historic photographs, documents, and footage drawn from a diverse spectrum of historical repositories, institutions, and collections in the US, the deeply embedded impact of the Chinese on the construction of Americanness and American values gets recuperated and placed into its rightful historical context. In the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction and Jim Crow, the Chinese’s integral presence in the growing American economy make them the key linchpin in both challenging and raising awareness of the evils of race-based discrimination and labor exploitation experienced by their African American brothers and sisters. Ahead of its world premiere on PBS’ American Experience later this month in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we are delighted to present a sneak preview (in its entire glory) of this vital commemoration of an oft-forgotten period and people central in shaping American culture and society. The lessons learnt from these exclusionary laws continue to resonate and teach us about the intricate politics of race and citizenship in our globalized world. |
| May 1, 2018 | 12:30PM - 2:00PM | Multimedia Room R305, Rosenberg Library and Learning Resources, City College of San Francisco (Ocean Campus), 50 Phelan Avenue | San Francisco | CA | Free | This screening will feature the shortened 38 minute long excerpt version of the film. CCSF will be screening both full and shortened versions of the film during the 2018 East Meets West Asian Pacific American Heritage Month program series. See the CCSF website for further information when it becomes available. |
| April 30, 2018 | 2:30PM - 5:30PM | Multimedia Room R305, Rosenberg Library and Learning Resources, City College of San Francisco (Ocean Campus), 50 Phelan Avenue | San Francisco | CA | Free | This screening will feature the full length 2hr 45 minute version of the film. CCSF will be screening both full and shortened versions of the film during the 2018 East Meets West Asian Pacific American Heritage Month program series. See the CCSF website for further information when it becomes available. |
| April 26, 2018 | 12:30PM - 1:30PM | Multimedia Room R305, Rosenberg Library and Learning Resources, City College of San Francisco (Ocean Campus), 50 Phelan Avenue | San Francisco | CA | Free | This screening will feature the shortened 38 minute long excerpt version of the film. CCSF will be screening both full and shortened versions of the film during the 2018 East Meets West Asian Pacific American Heritage Month program series. See the CCSF website for further information when it becomes available. |
| April 20, 2018 | 6PM - 9PM | Lefort Recital Hall, Room PA 72 in the Performing Arts building on the College of Marin campus, 835 College Avenue | Kentfield | CA | Free | Join the Model United Nations Club at the College of Marin and the San Francisco Chinatown Rotary Club for a free screening of THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT documentary. The program will be followed by a discussion featuring community leaders David Lei and others TBD. |
| Wednesday, April 18, 2018 | 6:00PM | CSU Long Beach, USU Ballrooms, 1250 N Bellflower Blvd. | Long Beach | CA | Join Future Underrepresented Educated Leaders (FUEL) and The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) with a screening of excerpts from The Chinese Exclusion Act and a discussion of the impacts of the 1882 law with special guests and a musical performance from Julie Yeeun Kim. Free Food. “Who Is American?: The Chinese Exclusion Act” Screening Facebook Event Page |
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| April 17, 2018 | 6PM - 9:10PM | Bijou Art Cinemas, 492 E. 13th Avenue | Eugene | OR | The screening will be followed by a Q&A with University of Oregon Ethnic Studies Faculty Lynn Fujiwara. Visit the DisOrient Film Festival website for more information and to buy tickets. |
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| April 16, 2018 | 11:30AM - 12:45PM | The Orange Carpet of Thomas Commons, Cornell College, 600 First Street SW | Mount Vernon | IA | Join SJI for a screening and discussion afterwards that will explore the themes of immigration, xenophobia, and what it means to be American. For questions, contact Hannah Ganzel at hganzel@cornellcollege.edu or (319) 895-4433. | |
| April 11, 2018 | 7:00PM | Bowdoin College, Thomas F. Shannon Room, Hubbard Hall, Room 208 | Brunswick | ME | Screening | |
| Wednesday, April 11, 2018 | 6:00PM-9:00PM | Harvard Kennedy School NYE C (Taubman Building) 15 Eliot St | Cambridge | MA | Part of the Harvard Kennedy School's Asian Pacific Heritage Month Celebration Film Series & Discussion |
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| April 8, 2018 | 4:45PM CST | Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street | Chicago | IL | $6 Members, $11 Nonmembers | 2017 | Documentary | USA | 160 min (with intermission) Visit the Asian American Film Showcase website for more information. |
| April 8, 2018 | 2:00PM - 4:30PM | 1370 Southmore Blvd | Houston | TX | $5 Members, $10 Nonmembers | The Asia Society Texas center, in collaboration with the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and OCA Greater Houston present "The Value of Immigrants: The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and U.S. Immigration Today". How will the U.S. navigate the complex issues surrounding immigration, and what will the effects be for the coming decades? Join Asia Society and co-presenters for a short film screening of The Chinese Exclusion Act and an enlightening conversation focusing on the value of immigration and the future of the U.S., Texas, and Houston. |
| April 5, 2018 | 6:00PM | Ballroom A, Student Center, Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | CA | Screening | |
| March 29, 2018 | 6:00PM | Titsworth Lecture Hall, Sarah Lawrence College | Bronxville | NY | Screening with a Q&A and discussion afterwards. | |
| March 26, 2018 | 7:15PM | Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas | Bethlehem | PA | Free | Screening by Moravian College, ArtsQuest and Lehigh University as part of the SteelStacks Communities Film Series |
| March 21, 2018 | 5:00PM - 7:00PM | Student Conference Center, George Washington University Law School | Washington | D.C. | Join NAPALSA and GW APALSA for an advance screening of an excerpt from Steeplechase Films' documentary film The Chinese Exclusion Act! Award-winning filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu will be in attendance to participate in a discussion after the screening. Refreshments will be served. | |
| March 16, 2018 | 6:00PM | Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, 47-49 East 65th Street | New York City | NY | Free | Screening at Friday Night Films |
| February 27, 2018 | 5:45PM | Vogue Theater | San Francisco | CA | Free | Screening and Q&A, sponsored by APDC Ed Lee Democratic Club and The Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown |
| February 22, 2018 | 4:30PM - 6:30PM | Banatao Auditorium, 330 Sutardja Dai Hall, MC 1764, UC Berkeley | Berkeley | CA | Free | Join the UC Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) for a free screening of the film. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Find more information about parking, public transport and reaching the venue here or on the map on the event page. |
| February 17, 2018 | 1:30PM - 5:30PM | Miami-Dade College, Kendall Campus, Room K-413 | Miami | FL | Free | Screening, Chinese Immigration into the Caribbean Basin |
| February 13, 2018 | 6:00PM - 8:00PM | Fitts Auditorium, Golkin Hall, The University of Pennsylvania Law School, 3501 Sansom Street | Philadelphia | PA | Join Penn Law's Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), Film Society, Immigrant Rights Project (PLIRP), Latinx Law Students Association (LALSA), and South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) for an exclusive screening of the PBS documentary THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT with commentary by Professor Howard Chang, expert on immigration law. | |
| February 10, 2018 | 2:00PM - 5:30PM | Chinese-American Museum of Chicago | Chicago | IL | Free | Screening |
| February 5, 2018 | 1:45PM - 3:30PM | Snowden Auditorium, Wheatley Building, 1st floor. W-1-088 UMass. | Boston | MA | Free | Screening and Discussion with UMass Boston’s Asian American Studies Program. Contact Prof. Peter Kiang at peter.kiang@umb.edu |
| February 3, 2018 | 10:00AM - 1:00PM | San Francisco | CA | Free | Screening and Q&A sponsored by the University of San Francisco’s Master’s in Asia Pacific Studies Program in collaboration with the Rotary Club of San Francisco (Chinatown chapter). Limited seating available on a first-come, first-seated basis for 200 people. Contact Professor John Nelson at nelsonj@usfca.edu for more information. | |
| January 18, 2018 | 5:00PM - 7:30PM | Dartmouth College, Filene Auditorium, Moore Building | Hanover | NH | Documentary screening and discussion with Professor Jennifer M. Miller, Ph.D. | |
| January 7, 2018 | 3:00PM - 5:00PM | 21 Pell Street | New York City | NY | Free | Screening. Part Two: Free - "Who is American? The Chinese Exclusion Act" |
| December 10, 2017 | 3:00PM - 5:00PM | 21 Pell Street | New York City | NY | Free | Screening. CAAM's & PBS's: "Who is American? The Chinese Exclusion Act" |
| December 7, 2017 | 6:45PM | AFS Cinema | Austin | TX | Free | Screening. Opening Night Film for the 10th Austin Asian American Film Festival. |
| December 7, 2017 | 6:30PM | Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington St | Boston | MA | Free | Screening, reading, and discussion. Who Is American?: Chinese Exclusion, Japanese Internment, and Today |
| https://caamedia.org/shop/December 2, 2017 | 3:30PM | Paramount Center | Boston | MA | Screening. Boston Asian American Film Festival Bonus Mini-Series – More Liberty & Justice | |
| November 12, 2017 | 11:30AM | Institute of Contemporary Art | Philadelphia | PA | Screening. Parts 1 and 2 – Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival | |
| October 28, 2017 | 2:00PM | San Francisco State University Humanities Building Room HUM 133 | San Francisco | CA | RSVP by sending an email to: info@aiisf.org | Screening by Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation |
| October 25, 2017 | Oregon Historical Society | Portland | OR | Screening by Chinese American Citizens Alliance Portland Lodge | ||
| October 9, 2017 | 7:00PM - 9:00PM | Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave | Seattle | WA | Free | Screening bySeattle Public Library, Central Branch |
| October 8, 2017 | San Francisco | CA | Screening is included as part of the conference registration fee. | Chinese Historical Society of America’s This Land Is Our Land: Conference 2017 | ||
| October 7, 2017 | 2:30PM | Rhodes College, Blount Auditorium in Buckman Hall | Memphis | TN | Free | Screening |
| September 19, 2017 | 6:30PM | 225 Liberty St | New York City | NY | Screening and panel with filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu and CEO of the Tempest Laila Alawa | |
| August 19, 2017 | 3:00PM | 145 Harrison Ave | Boston | MA | Free | Boston Chinatown Town Hall Meeting with The Chinese Exclusion Act Excerpts (35 mins). |
| June 13, 2017 | 1:00PM | The Great Star Theater | San Francisco | CA | Special SF Chinatown Screening with Chinatown Community Development Center | |
| May 27, 2017 | 7:30PM | Guild Theater | Sacramento | CA | Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017 | |
| May 27, 2017 | 1:00PM - 4:30PM | San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, Koret Auditorium | San Francisco | CA | Screening | |
| May 24, 2017 | 6:00PM | Brookline Town Hall, 5th Floor School Committee Room, 333 Washington Street | Brookline | MA | Excerpt with discussion by Andrew Leong, Associate Professor, Philosophy Dept, Asian American & Latino Studies, UMass Boston. Brookline’s Asian American Pacific Islander Celebration. | |
| May 19, 2017 | 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Runnels Building Auditorium, 1190 S. St. Francis Drive | Santa Fe | NM | Preview Screening by New Mexico PBS and New Mexico Department of Health | |
| April 25, 2017 | 4:00PM - 6:30PM | Institutes for Discovery, DeLuca Forum Room, 330 North Orchard Street | Madison | WI | A conversation with award-winning auther, journalist and activist Helen Zia, joined by UW Asian American Studies Faculty Victor Jew and UW Law Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes by Wisconsin China Initiative. | |
| April 24, 2017 | 6:00PM - 9:00PM | The Marquee Cinema, 1308 West Dayton Street | Madison | WI | Screening with pizza and discussion with the filmmakers by Wisconsin China Initiative | |
| March 19, 2017 | 7:00PM | Castro Theater | San Francisco | CA | CAAMFest 2017, West Coast Premiere | |
| October 26, 2016 | Verizon’s new Technology and Policy Center | Washington | D.C. | 30 minute preview by National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) |
If you are interested in hosting/organizing your own community screening or receiving free educational resources on the documentary, please fill out the form here.
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